Three Tibetans set themselves on fire on February 3 in the under-siege town of Serthar in Eastern Tibet. Since Tapey’s self-immolation in 2009, 19 Tibetans have set themselves on fire demanding the return of the Dalai Lama and protesting China’s occupation of their country. A Tibetan in exile with contacts in the region said on Sunday that two Tibetans survived the self-immolation but one is feared dead.

“The three Tibetans called for the unity of the people and protested against the Chinese government,” the Tibetan who didn’t want to be named, said. The two who have reportedly survived have been identified as Tsering, around 60 years of age and Kyari, around 30.

And here are two items that were on the front page of The New York Times today:

War’s Risks Shift to Contractors

by Rod Nordland

More civilian contractors working for American companies than American soldiers died in Afghanistan last year for the first time during the war.

American employers here are under no obligation to publicly report the deaths of their employees and frequently do not. While the military announces the names of all its war dead, private companies routinely notify only family members. Most of the contractors die unheralded and uncounted — and in some cases, leave their survivors uncompensated.

And, self is still unspeakably sad about Whitney Houston. Her death, too, was on p. 1, in an article written by Jon Pareles and Adam Nagourney:

Whitney Houston, R & B Superstar, Dies at 48

Whitney Houston, the multi-million-selling singer who emerged in the 1980s as one of her generation’s greatest R & B voices, only to deteriorate through years of cocaine use and an abusive marriage, died on Saturday in Los Angeles. Her death was confirmed by her publicist, Kristen Foster.